


Exchange

by cryleigh



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Scars, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-08
Updated: 2019-03-08
Packaged: 2019-11-13 18:50:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18036890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cryleigh/pseuds/cryleigh
Summary: Nazuna isn't sure who to expect at his doorstep this late, but Tenshouin Eichi is surely at the bottom of the list. Nevertheless, when a feverish Eichi appears before him, Nazuna can't bring himself to turn him away, resulting in a strange night of lowered walls and unwanted — but still shared — secrets.tw: description of hospital scars





	Exchange

**Author's Note:**

> there's very little einazu content so i gotta make it myself. This was not supposed to be as long as it ended up being but here we are.
> 
> If this floats yur boat please yell at me about einazu @cryleighart on twitter

The doorbell went largely unnoticed by Nazuna the first time it rang. He had been in the middle of arranging positions for Ra*bits’ new performance, and the background noise hadn’t even penetrated his wall of concentration. The second time it rang made him pause for a moment, and he could hear hectic feet shuffling down the hall as his mother went to answer it. 

A moment of indistinguishable exchanges at the door and then suddenly a call of his name.

He stood up straight, lowering his pencil neatly beside the sketchbook he’d been working out of, glancing at the clock on the wall as he did. He frowned slightly at the time. Who would be coming by for him at nearly ten at night?

He pushed himself out of his desk and opened his door, calling back an “I’m coming!” as he made his way down the hall and down the stairs, trying to imagine who it could possibly be. Whether it was an emergency. Was it one of his boys in Ra*bits? Or Kiryuu Kuro perhaps, although that option would create more questions than answers. The scenarios in his mind darkened with each step as he considered every possibility.

His feet and his whirling thoughts promptly stopped dead in their tracks halfway down the steps, when he finally caught sight of who accompanied his mother in the foyer.

A part of him thought he ought to immediately turn and run back up the stairs and hope they hadn’t noticed him, but cherry red eyes met sky blue ones and the possibility was ruled out immediately. Tenshouin Eichi smiled placidly in his direction as soon as he saw him. 

“Good evening, Nito-kun,” Eichi said, in that pleasant sing-song voice of his. “My apologies for dropping by unannounced at this hour.” He bowed slightly to Nazuna and his mother in turn as he said it.

“A friend of yours, Nazuna?” His mother asked, looking over to him curiously. He came down the remainder of the stairs slowly, footsteps falling heavily until he reached the bottom, one hand on the banister.

“You could say that,” Nazuna said vaguely, trying and failing to read Eichi’s face as he joined them — That smile of his was truly unreadable. Nazuna’s mother stepped back with a polite nod to Eichi before leaving the two of them alone.

“What do you want, Tenshouin?” he asked as soon as she had disappeared, figuring his sudden and unannounced visit would allow at least some degree of bluntness.

Eichi feigned hurt at the question, a hand coming up to his chest. Nazuna couldn’t help but notice it shook slightly from the effort, but Eichi’s smile never wavered.

“You wound me with such coldness, Nito-kun. I came to visit you personally, you know. That’s not an easy thing for me to do.” He held out the hand on his chest in a vague gesture. “Ahh, I was hoping that... we could be friends after all, you know.”

The more Nazuna watched him, the more it was clear something was off. It wasn’t just his hand that was shaking, but his entire frame. His skin shone with sweat yet he shook like he was unbearably cold.

“Come in, then.” Nazuna said, his tone still firm. Eichi nodded, kneeling down to take off his shoes. When he straightened up he swayed a bit, somehow looking even worse than before. When he took a step towards Nazuna, one of his knees seemed to give out and he staggered.

Nazuna’s hands flew out automatically to catch him, even though his help turned out to be unnecessary when Eichi caught himself on the foyer wall, his eyes wide with shock. Like he’d awoken from a dream. He laughed a bit under his breath as he recovered.

“How embarrassing,” was all he said. “How very embarrassing.”

“Take it easy,” Nazuna said reflexively. He took Eichi’s arm and helped hold him steady. “Come upstairs and I’ll make you some tea.”

Eichi breathed a heavy sigh of relief, closing his eyes for a moment and smiling. “Tea? That sounds nice. Nito-kun… You’re very hospitable, hmm?”

“Shut up and focus on not falling,” Nazuna replied, leading Eichi inside. He seemed more stable now, although Nazuna could clearly feel his body trembling against him. The ascent up the stairs was slow, and Eichi was breathing hard by the time they reached the top. He gently pried himself from Nazuna’s side and leaned against the banister for a moment, gasping for breath.

Nazuna felt weird, watching him. Like he had suddenly become privy to something he shouldn’t have been seeing, like he ought to turn his eyes away out of… what? Shame? 

Obviously he had known of Eichi’s condition. The fact that the former school council president often disappeared from school for days — weeks — at a time because of his health was certainly no secret. But Nazuna was realizing now that apart from his ragged breathing after a “fine” performance, he had truly never seen what exactly that had meant. What it looked like.

And in the face of it, he could only feel helpless and awkward. Being confronted with the reality of another person’s weakness only made him want to avert his eyes and pretend like he didn’t notice.

He heard Eichi laugh, although it came out more like a wheeze. “I’m sorry,” he said, and forced himself to straighten up even though his breath was still coming in harsh bursts. He was still smiling, and it was that that made Nazuna’s chest tighten and made his stomach clench. How someone could so clearly be suffering — hardly able to keep themselves upright while sweat glistened on their forehead — and still be able to smile saddened Nazuna more than anything. Because he knew that a smile like that was nothing more than a farce. A mask. _“Don’t pay me any mind.” “Don’t waste your time worrying.”_ He had never been able to master a smile like that himself.

As Nazuna offered a hand to spot him again, his emotions must have been clear on his face.

“You don’t have to pity me,” Eichi said, although he accepted Nazuna’s gesture and allowed him to lead him to his room.

“I don’t,” Nazuna answered firmly, although his chest squeezed again as he said it.

Eichi all but collapsed onto Nazuna’s bed when the shorter boy steered him towards it. Nazuna wanted to apologize. His room was a mess, with clothes and costumes strewn about and notebooks piled on his desk and an unorganized box of sound equipment he had borrowed from the school occupying a corner of the space, and his bed — the bed Eichi was currently sprawled out upon — hadn’t been made. But Eichi didn’t make any comment as he buried his face into the blankets, and simply laid there very still for a few moments.

Nazuna hesitantly leaned over him and brushed his bangs aside. Unsurprisingly, his forehead burned against his fingertips, and Nazuna pulled his hand away with a frown.

“You’ve got a fever,” he said. Eichi mumbled something inaudible into the covers in response, and although Nazuna couldn’t make out words, he was clearly whining.

Nazuna rolled his eyes. “I’ll get you water then.” he said and turned to leave before the older boy could respond. 

Nazuna made his way back down the stairs and into the kitchen, his mind going at twice the speed of his frantic footsteps. His mother was in the kitchen reading at the table, and looked up as Nazuna rummaged through the cupboard for a glass.

“Was that a friend from school?” she asked. Nazuna paused for a moment as he processed her question, his hand hovering for a moment before landing on one of their nicer glasses and pulling it out.

“I know him from school, yeah,” he said vaguely as he filled it. “I guess we’re friends.”

He paused for a moment, still trying to decide on what this all meant — Eichi being here in his home, late at night without any warning and running a fever. He supposed it didn’t matter why, as long as he knew what he could do about it.

“He’s not feeling well s-so… He’s goin ta shtay the night,” Nazuna said in a rush, his voice slurring a bit as he felt his face heat up. Ahh, why couldn’t he be just a bit more eloquent? He was just stating a fact, so why did it have to come out like that?

His mother simply hummed in acknowledgement though. “That’s fine,” she said. “You know where the extra futon is. Don’t stay up too late.”

Nazuna nodded gratefully, glad for the absence of more pressing questions. A hurried thank-you tumbled from his lips as he gripped the water glass in tense hands and backed out of the kitchen and back up the stairs.

Eichi hadn’t moved from the bed, although he had bundled the covers around his frame, resembling a large formless caterpillar. Despite the extra layers, he was still visibly shaking. As Nazuna entered the room, a pitiful moan escaped his lips and he curled in on himself tightly.

“Nitooo-kuuun. It’s so cold…”

“That’s because you’ve sweat through your clothes and it’s cooling you down,” Nazuna replied tersely. He couldn’t help but be relieved that the fake smile had finally faded from Eichi’s lips. He set the water glass down on the desk next to his choreography sketchbook and walked over to the bed, tugging experimentally on the blanket Eichi had wrapped himself him. The older boy made a startled noise of indignance and clutched it tighter against himself.

Nazuna exhaled sharply out his nose in annoyance. Was the “emperor” of Yumenosaki Academy really someone that could be this childish?

“Why did you even come here?” Nazuna muttered half to himself, turning away from the sickly boy to busy himself with rummaging through his drawers. He didn’t have much of his own that would fit Eichi given their significant height difference, but he might have had some old hand-me-downs that his dad had given to him in the hopes that he would “grow into them” — shoved at the back of his drawers and serving only as a mocking reminder to do a load of laundry.

“Nii-chan likes taking care of people, hmm?” Eichi said slowly, some of his words slurring slightly. He had a teasing tone, but when Nazuna tossed a glare over his shoulder, Eichi’s eyes were unfocused and his expression was distant. “I thought Nii-chan would take care of me too.” It seemed he was quickly just getting worse.

Nazuna pulled out an oversized t-shirt with a sports team logo emblazoned across the front and held it out, mentally judging its size. It might be a big large, even for Eichi, but he had a feeling the older boy wouldn’t mind at the moment.

“Don’t call me that,” Nazuna quipped, a tad delayed as he folded the shirt and set it aside to look for a pair of sweatpants. When he’d found one he thought would work — maybe a bit short but otherwise fine — he placed them both at the edge of the bed in front of Eichi’s face and looked down at him sternly.

“Change into these, got it? I’ll turn around, so tell me when your done.”

There was a moment of silent hesitation as he turned around, but he eventually heard the shift and rustle of covers being shed away, and the soft sound of fabric gliding against skin as his guest undressed himself.

“You could look if you wanted to,” Eichi said in a voice that sounded slightly too weak to deliver the teasing tone he wanted. Nazuna snorted again in response, and Eichi simply chuckled breathily.

When he announced he was done, Nazuna reached for the water and offered it to him. He held onto it tightly with both hands and sipped on it hesitantly, and Nazuna took a moment to look at him again. His skin still glistened with sweat and although his face was flushed, the rest of his skin looked pale and sallow. His eyes looked clouded and distant, and his brow was slightly furrowed. He wondered if maybe he had a headache, or maybe he was trying hard to focus — trying not to drift away into unconsciousness.

He was clearly unwell, and Nazuna simply could not figure out why Eichi — Tenshouin Eichi, of one of the most rich and powerful families in the entertainment industry, who undoubtedly had physicians and doctors available at his beck and call — had come to him instead.

He mulled this over while retrieving the spare futon from the storage closet in the hall, while rolling it out over his floor (and shoving books and clothes aside to make room), and while setting out extra blankets and pillows. He wouldn’t force Eichi to move from where he had made himself comfortable in Nazuna’s bed, but Nazuna wasn’t about to be forced out of his own room if he could help it. Besides...In the state Eichi was in, he didn’t want to be too far in case something happened.

Once he’d finished setting up, he kneeled at the bedside, regarding Eichi a little warily before reaching up to brush Eichi’s bangs aside again to hold the back of his hand against his forehead. Eichi didn’t react to the gesture aside from finally lowering the water glass from his mouth.

“Nito.” he said in a low voice. He’d dropped the honourific, but Nazuna wondered if he even noticed. He was staring into space again, and Nazuna carefully pried the glass from him before he forgot about it and let it fall. His hands hovered there for a moment, before slowly lowering to his lap. He looked over at Nazuna with a momentary clarity in his eyes. He cracked a thin smile at him as he shifted himself over and patted the space beside him. “Come sit, Nito.”

Nazuna gave an exasperated huff in response, realizing it was futile to point out that Eichi was the guest in this house and not him — that it was Nazuna’s own bed he was inviting him to and not the other way around. Eichi, whether out of fatigue or whether out of his condition worsening seemed to be getting progressively more distant and confused. Nazuna wondered if he even remembered where he was right now.

However, there would be no harm in entertaining him for now, especially since refusing him in this state could make the sick boy distressed, which Nazuna would rather avoid having to deal with. Besides, it was late and Nazuna was tired.

He carefully crawled into the bed beside Eichi. It was hard — his bed was a twin-size and not meant to comfortably fit two people, and Nazuna found himself perched uncomfortably on the edge so that he did not press up against him. Even with the inch or two of space between them, he could feel the heat radiating off of his body and making his skin itch.

Despite his attempts to keep reasonable space between them, as soon as he got settled Eichi leaned into him, resting his cheek against Nazuna’s head and pressing their sides flush together. Nazuna nearly toppled off the edge of the bed at the sudden weight, and managed to shove them both further onto the bed with only minimal whines from Eichi. Once they had gotten comfortable again (or at least Eichi had — Nazuna still had to deal with having a much larger body leaning heavily against him and his unnaturally hot breath washing over his face), Eichi began talking. Slow and soft and slurred, like he wasn’t really talking for the sake of his listener, like he didn’t really care whether Nazuna could hear him or not.

“...much softer than the hospital...hmmm, you know?” he mused to himself, sentences fragmented and disjointed. He smiled gently though, seemingly content. Nazuna simply stayed as still as he could, feeling again as though he were observing something he was not supposed to see. Maybe if he pretended he wasn’t there, he wouldn’t have to become witness to this strange side of Yumenosaki’s “emperor”.

Eichi nuzzled into Nazuna’s hair, and the shorter blonde boy felt an uncomfortable shiver race up his spine that made him want to curl in on himself. “...mmm… it must be better now.” he whispered. “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

Nazuna blinked in confusion. His guest had been reduced to mumbling nonsense it seemed, and he knew better than to try to draw any real meaning from it, but he found himself asking before he could stop himself. “What doesn’t hurt?”

“Hmm?” Eichi hummed, leaning away from Nazuna to glance down at him with a blank look. He nonchalantly held up one of his arms, gesturing to it slowly, as if it was Nazuna that was acting confused and talking gibberish. Nazuna suppressed a twinge of annoyance that Eichi could be condescending even in this sorry state.

“The IV’s?” he supplied with a questioning cadence at the end, as though it were obvious. And now that Nazuna’s attention was focused there, he could see the scarred remnants of puncture marks just on the inside of his elbow, stark against his pale skin. One of the marks looked fresher than the others, an angry red point with bruising blossoming beneath the surface of the skin. For a moment, Nazuna couldn’t help but stare. He felt as though he’d suddenly stumbled into a dream and that none of this was real. That Eichi wasn’t actually here in his bed casually showing him his hospital scars. That he had actually fallen asleep at his desk doodling Ra*bits choreography late into the night. 

He wasn’t sure what his face looked like as he processed all of this — as he considered whether he had left reality somewhere along the way and been dropped down into a surreal parallel universe instead — but he did notice when Eichi started slightly at the marks on his arm, as if he’d only just noticed them himself and lowered his arm, seemingly embarrassed. He swayed a little bit and his eyes fluttered.

“Ahh. I’m sorry. That sort of thing is ugly isn’t it? Why did I…?” He didn’t finish his thought, the words trailing off with no promise of conclusion. He looked exhausted.

“That’s enough, don’t you think?” Nazuna said gently, his previous annoyance melting away as he patted Eichi’s shoulder. “You should sleep.”

He was thankfully compliant to Nazuna’s suggestions, and lowered himself down into the pillows, bundling the blankets around him again, leaving only his face exposed. His eyes slid shut and he gave one last groan as he curled on his side, his bangs falling haphazardly over his face. 

He looked like a child like this. Like an actual, genuine teenager, and for a moment Nazuna could actually believe that he was just a sickly eighteen year-old boy rather than the mastermind tyrant that had held Yumenosaki in an iron-fisted reign for over a year.

“You’re impossible.” Nazuna sniffed indignantly, although he felt his chest flutter strangely as he looked upon his vulnerable form and his calm expression, smoothed and relaxed as he quickly drifted into sleep. He thought about brushing his bangs from his face again, could almost feel the tips of his fingers burning as he imagined the feeling of his soft hair on his skin again.

He glanced around helplessly for a moment, trying to figure out his next move. The clock read eleven pm now, and he desperately needed to go to bed, even if it was the weekend now. He could feel his eyelids growing heavy and his mind starting to drift, and the slow rhythmic pattern of Eichi’s breath at his side was further lulling him into a drowsy state. He could slip away fairly easily from where he was at the edge of the bed and on top of the covers, but Eichi had barely just drifted off, and he didn’t want to risk waking him by moving. 

He leaned over to his bedside table and picked up a manga he’d left there, flipping through it mindlessly without really reading it. He’d give it twenty minutes. By then Eichi should be properly asleep and then he’d be able to safely remove himself from his side. 

He found himself glancing from the manga to his sleeping face more than he would like to admit, if only because the look of genuine peace and contentment on his face was something so strange that he had to convince himself that he was actually seeing it.

Most people would say that Eichi looked peaceful and happy all of the time, with that gentle smile on his face and his mannerisms polite and light-hearted. But if anyone ever told Nazuna that directly, he would have to wonder if they actually looked. He couldn’t have been the only one who saw it after all.

The fact that his smile was rehearsed and his phrases were canned. He saw it slip sometimes when the corner of his mouth twitched or when his eyes crinkled a little too much at the corners. When he coughed a little more than necessary to clear his throat or his giggle was a little too delayed. Tenshouin Eichi was a good faker, but he was a faker nonetheless, and Nazuna had seen it for a while now, observing as a bystander on the sidelines.

Maybe Eichi had been watching him from afar as well, when he thought he wasn’t looking. Was there any other reason for him to come here of all places? And if that was the case, what on earth was so interesting about him that it warranted his attention?

He sighed lightly, setting the manga down. He’d really only managed to get through a dozen pages before becoming distracted by his own derailed thoughts. He glanced down at Eichi again, noting with relief that his breaths were deep and unrestrained, a soft squeaking snore accompanying each of his exhales. 

He slipped out of the bed slowly, lowering himself down onto the futon as quietly as possible. Once he’d gotten the blankets arranged, he switched the lights off and crawled underneath. 

His clock glowed in the darkness, a reminder of the time he’d spent dealing with his unexpected guest instead of working on unit formations. He gave another soft sigh. 

He could work on it tomorrow, he told himself. He found he was staring into complete blackness even though he didn’t remember closing his eyes, and he drifted easily into sleep, images of coloured dots moving on paper and the imprints of cloudy blue eyes accompanying him as he did. 

\---

When he awoke it was still dark, the numbers of his clock and the streetlights shining through his window the only light in the room. He was, however, immediately aware of what had woke him in the first place as a hand landed clumsily on his chest, unceremoniously putting its full weight on him.

“ _Jesus_ , Eichi,” Nazuna hissed indignantly, rolling to the side and effectively causing Eichi to connect solidly with his back as his arm slid out from underneath him and he toppled forward. The taller boy let out a muffled noise of surprise, his breath gusting over Nazuna’s shoulder. They were a tangle of limbs now, with Nazuna curled on his side and Eichi sprawled across him with his chin propped up on Nazuna’s shoulder and one arm draped over him. Nazuna was vividly aware of how uncomfortably warm Eichi was, and how his sickly breath was right in his ear. He wriggled about underneath him, trying desperately to escape the weight of his body, and Eichi simply chuckled weakly as he struggled.

“What’s your deal?” Nazuna spat, not finding any of this funny in the slightest. “I’m trying to sleep, leave me alone!”

Eichi drew back at Nazuna’s tone, obediently pulling himself into a seiza posture as Nazuna rearranged himself, fuming and muttering under his breath. 

“‘M sorry, Nito.” Eichi said, although there was clearly still some amusement in his tone. His eyes looked clearer than they did when he had fallen asleep, although his cheeks were still flushed. Meaning that when he spoke again to give a supplement “I didn’t mean to,” it was at least partly a lie.

Nazuna simply hissed something to himself in response as he continued to fluff pillows and wrap himself in blankets and restlessly change positions until he found something for comfortable, not looking unlike a dog that turns itself in circles before finally settling itself down. Eichi watched him — now with his back turned to him — with a soft smile, but didn’t move from where he was perched at the edge of the futon.

It took Nazuna a moment or two to realize, before he looked over his shoulder at him with eyes narrowed. “What?”

Eichi seemed to take his acknowledgement as an invitation and edged closer. “I didn’t want to be alone,” he admitted surprisingly easily. Nazuna blinked slowly in response, not speaking. Eichi simply adjusted his position, laying down at Nazuna’s side and pressing his face against his small shoulders, breathing deeply. Nazuna turned back — away from him — clenching and unclenching the fists held up to his chest. He could feel the older boy’s breathing through his pyjamas, warm against his back. He wasn’t sure whether to shoo him away or turn around to face him head-on — both options seemed confrontational and jarring in this new quiet.

“Are you usually alone?” he asked instead.

Eichi chuckled quietly, but didn’t say anything to elaborate.

A long moment of silence passed between them, in which Nazuna’s mind raced, trying to find a way to properly address this situation. What could be said? What would be comforting? What could he say that he wouldn’t trip over, revealing his cursed awkwardness? Before he could string together a proper sentence, he felt Eichi take in a long breath and speak again.

“Can I tell you a secret?” he asked quietly.

Nazuna’s previous train of thought derailed and dissipated instantly at his solemn tone. He didn’t really want to know. He didn’t know what that knowledge would commit him to, what kind of unwanted bond it would create between the two of them — but he also couldn’t bring himself to refuse him, especially in the state he was in.

“Sure, I guess.”

It took Eichi a few moments to respond. Nazuna counted the breaths against his back as he steeled himself — four exhales in total.

“I don’t want to die, Nito.” he said in a single breath, hardly louder than a whisper.

It took a moment to process the words, sudden and jarring as they were in the moment. When the meaning of them had finally sunk in, Nazuna felt his blood run cold. It was like being suddenly submerged in water in subzero temperatures, ice absorbed through his skin, freezing his limbs in place and stopping his heart for a single moment.

Eichi pressed closer, and Nazuna could feel his breath quickening a bit, tickling the hairs at the back of his neck. “I don’t want to die. If I did... there’s no way I’d make it to heaven like this, right?”

Nazuna supposed he’d never taken the time to really think about what it must have been to live in Eichi’s place — what it meant to live each day knowing that it could come to an end all at once and without any warning. 

What was it like — he wondered in that moment — to put work into anything when it could be left forever unfinished in your sudden absence? What was it like to build anything — dreams, relationships — knowing that it could shatter to pieces if any part of that glass body fell out of place?

And yet above all else, what he was most afraid of was being alone. Facing that darkness by himself with no one waiting on the other side.

He didn’t know what to say — how _could_ he, with something like this sprung upon him so suddenly and so seriously when just a few moments ago they had been horsing around like regular teenagers? He wanted to say something comforting — really, he wanted to say _anything_ , but it was as if he’d lost his voice, his vocal cords strained and useless. A familiar, depressing feeling, a constricted helplessness that squeezed his chest, as if the silence was suffocating him.

Words had never be — would probably never be — his forte though, he realized as he felt Eichi take a hitched, shaking breath. But perhaps words were not the only way to offer consolation. Perhaps in situations like these, they were not even the best way. He wasn’t sure what Eichi must have heard others tell him time and time again about his future, but he figured he must have been tired of hearing it.

Nazuna clumsily rolled over, finding himself face-to-face with his guest and starting a little at just how close they were now. He could clearly see tears filling those blue eyes, spilling over onto his nose as he blinked in surprise at Nazuna’s movement. He saw his lips trembling before he sheepishly lifted a hand to his face.

“S-sorry,” he stuttered. “Please don’t- I said something stupid just now. Please pretend you didn’t hear that.”

Nazuna simply tugged at the blankets underneath him, not trusting himself even to ask him to move lest his voice shake. Eichi blinked a few times before looking up at Nazuna in confusion. Nazuna tugged again meaningfully, and Eichi’s eyes widened with understanding as he lifted himself from the futon so that Nazuna could gather the blankets up before throwing them over Eichi’s body.

He shot him a questioning look, and Nazuna could feel his face heating up in embarrassment.

“I’m not… I mean, I’m not going anywhere, so… You don’t have to be alone. For now at least.”

The other boy processed this blankly for a second before a wide smile broke out across his face and he let out a wet chuckle. He laid himself back down, pulling the blankets around him and pressing close to Nazuna, nuzzling into his chest. Nazuna drew back at Eichi’s sudden closeness with a grimace on his face. 

“You really are pathetic, you know,” he muttered, and although Eichi must have heard, he didn’t give any indication of it. Nazuna tapped his head impatiently, and only then did Eichi look up again.

“Roll over. Your breath is all hot and gross. And you’re still crying.”

Eichi laughed again, still hitched and weak but more genuine this time. He promptly complied, and Nazuna hesitantly snaked an arm under Eichi’s to loosely hold his waist as he drew close, resting his face against Eichi’s neck. It wasn’t comfortable. It wasn’t comfortable in the slightest, considering his other arm was wedged between their bodies. Considering that fact that being pressed to Eichi like this created the distinct feeling of falling asleep next to a space heater and letting it slowly boil you alive. But he could feel Eichi’s breathing start to slow and even out, could hear his sniffles starting to quiet.

He could stay like this for a while, he supposed. Just until he fell asleep, or was close to it. He supposed he could forego some comfort and some dignity for the sake of making one sickly, messed up kid feel a little less alone.

\---

Nazuna and Eichi had ended up falling asleep huddled together like that, much to Nazuna’s regret when he awoke the next morning. He grumbled as he sat up, stretching and wincing at the sharp ache that flared up in his shoulder and shot down his arm.

He felt Eichi stir at his side, groaning as he rolled onto his back and threw a hand over his eyes at the light streaming through the window.

Nazuna chuckled as Eichi rolled back onto his side, vocally protesting his new awakened state. “Good morning, Your Majesty~” he said teasingly, prodding his cheek lightly as he did.

Nazuna went about the room tidying up as Eichi slowly shook off his drowsiness. He blinked blearily, following Nazuna’s movements as he straightened the sheets and blankets on his bed and folded some of the clothes that had been shoved aside to make room for the futon. He brightened a little bit as the younger boy made his way to the corner of the room and crouched down next to the pen set up there. He crawled over to join him, still pulling one of the blankets along with him and shivering a little as he hitched it up to his chin.

“How fitting~” Eichi commented lightheartedly as Nazuna reached over the side of the pen to top up a small dish with food pellets. A beautiful snow-white rabbit watched her owner’s actions with interest, ears perking up and red eyes glistening. Nazuna snorted in response to Eichi’s jab, but didn’t seem genuinely annoyed when he glanced sideways at his guest.

“Do you want to pet her?” he asked. Eichi chuckled a little.

“I’m not supposed to spend too much time touching animals, but a little bit won’t hurt.” He reached an arm out of his blanket robe and hesitantly ran it across the rabbit’s back. He drew his hand back a little, and at first Nazuna thought something must be wrong until Eichi spoke, his voice unable to contain his wonder and excitement.

“Ahh, how delightful! She’s so soft.” He sounded like he was about to burst — like a child. He reached out again, stroking the rabbit gently. That feeling of intrusion that Eichi had been inflicting upon Nazuna for the last several hours made itself present once more, but this time was different. It was a warm feeling rather than a cold one, and rather than wanting to avert his eyes, Nazuna couldn’t seem to tear them away. It still felt like a private moment, but this time he felt more like he had special permission to witness it, rather than feeling like an outsider barging in uninvited.

“How do you feel?” Nazuna asked, forcing himself to look away from Eichi’s face — his warm smile and his bright, shining eyes — and down at the slender hand rubbing rhythmic circles into the rabbit’s fur.

“Mm. Much better.” Eichi said, without elaborating. Nazuna couldn’t help but wonder how much of the previous night he remembered. He had seemed fairly lucid when he’d woken up halfway through the night and had cried his loneliness to him, after all.

Nazuna stood up slowly, deciding not to bring the events of the night back to light. Even if Eichi did remember, he must surely be embarrassed by it.

“I’ll go downstairs and get something ready for breakfast. If you’re not feeling well enough to walk down by yourself, wait for me okay?”

Eichi hummed in acknowledgement, withdrawing his arm from the pen and back into the blankets. He didn’t look away from the rabbit though, watching her as she made her way over to her newly filled food dish, nose twitching delicately.

Nazuna stood at the door for a moment, simply watching him. The morning light spilling through the window washed out the pigment of his skin until it looked almost white, and his blonde hair seemed to glow gold. His expression was serene and peaceful, and the scene filled Nazuna with an unexplainable calm. For a moment, he really did understand why people equated him to an angel.

He stepped away with purpose, making his way down the stairs nimbly and swinging around the banister at the bottom. A glance at the clock in the hallway told him it was about nine — late for him, if he were being completely honest, but he figured the events of last night warranted a bit of extra sleep. 

His parents were sitting in the kitchen, also obviously having a slow start to their weekend, and Nazuna greeted them cheerfully as he prepared water to boil. He didn’t know what tea Eichi would like — seeing as he was the president of the Tea Club he imagined he was rather particular — so he pulled out a few of the nicer ones and lined them up beside the kettle.

“Is your friend coming down?” His mother asked. She was typing away on a laptop. Working even on a weekend, which Nazuna would have to chide her for later — it was obvious where Nazuna got his own overachieving streak from.

“In a minute,” Nazuna answered. “He’s...kind of a frail person.”

As if to accentuate his statement, a thud resounded from the direction of the stairwell and Nazuna started in surprise, his heart jumping to his throat. His parents both looked at him and he met their eyes blankly before looking over his shoulder to where the sound came from, and clumsily racing toward it. When he made it to the stairwell, Eichi was sitting on the steps, leaning against the bars of the banister. He waved down to Nazuna placidly.

“Hello, Nito-kun,” he greeted, as if he weren’t clinging to the banister for dear life with his other hand and as if his legs were awkwardly splayed out over the steps. Nazuna raced up the stairs to kneel beside him, his heart pounding in his chest.

“Did you shprain shomething?” He asked, aware that his voice was starting to slur as the words tumbled out in disarray. Eichi shook his head.

“Mmm. No, my foot just slipped. It’s nothing.”

Nazuna snorted in disbelief as he bent down, weaving Eichi’s arm over his shoulder and slowly helping him up. Eichi still clutched at the banister, his shaking limbs betraying the concentrated look of calm he held on his face.

“I told you to wait for me,” Nazuna scolded. Eichi shook his head stubbornly.

“I didn’t want to. Waiting is boring.”

Nazuna huffed angrily. “You’re imposshible.” He said, taking a hesitant step forward, down to the next step. Eichi followed his lead, testing the weight on his foot before committing to the movement. When they made it to the bottom, Eichi carefully slid out of Nazuna’s grip.

“I’m fine, see.” He said, lifting himself up onto the balls of his feet a few times. “I really did just slip.” He pressed a thoughtful finger to his chin and looked up wistfully for a moment. “Hmm, but it was cute seeing that flustered look on your face, so if it happened again maybe it wouldn’t be so bad after all~”

Nazuna rolled his eyes. Clearly Eichi was just as fine as he claimed to be if he had the energy to make jokes. He turned and headed back to the kitchen, with Eichi following close behind.

Nazuna made a beeline to the kettle to see if it had finished boiling and Eichi greeted Nazuna’s parents politely. He sat down with them as Nazuna busied himself in the kitchen, introducing himself as if they all hadn’t just heard him take a tumble on the stairs. They went through the parent routine of asking him a barrage of questions, which he answered with a flawless combination of cheerful politeness and humour. He heard his father comment that he was glad his old clothes were being put to use, and Eichi feigned surprise, looking down at the sports logo on the front and joking that what a coincidence it was that Mr. Nito-san was also a fan. He must have been used to this, Nazuna thought. What with all of the networking he must do on behalf of his family business, as well as the student council work he did while the president.

“Tenshouin,” Nazuna spoke up at an appropriate pause in their conversation. “What kind of tea would you like?” He wanted to apologize that he probably wouldn’t have anything to his liking, but he felt awkward even just thinking of how to phrase it and thought better of it.

Eichi waved a hand dismissively, surprising Nazuna. “Anything is fine. Whatever your favourite is.”

Nazuna squinted at him for a moment, but he had already gone back to talking with his parents. He vaguely registered that he was talking about Ra*bits, and probably about him as well, and likely would have been embarrassed if he wasn’t so baffled by Eichi’s request.

He turned back to his options with a frown. His favourite? He certainly had one, but it wasn’t exactly a refined flavour he thought Eichi would enjoy. After a moment, he shrugged in defeat. He couldn’t think of anything better, and if Eichi had any complaints it would be entirely on him.

When he set a mug down in front of Eichi, he thanked him and immediately lifted it to his face, breathing deeply. Nazuna couldn’t explain why he was so nervous as he watched. Eichi’s eyes slid closed and he gave a blissful smile.

“It’s very like you,” was all he said before he took a ginger sip. 

The rest of breakfast passed without much incident. Nazuna simply listened to the back and forth between Eichi and his parents. It felt a bit like a dream, that he was even there in his house trading stories with his parents as if they’d known each other for years. Even though he still looked sickly and pale, he seemed brighter somehow. He didn’t look out of place in that small kitchen with aging wallpaper and hand-done tiling and mismatched furnishings, even though Nazuna thought for sure that he would.

It could have just been the sunlight beaming through the windows, lighting up the room and pooling over his shoulders, but Nazuna felt warm. This scene was unfamiliar yes, but not necessary unpleasant.

He was almost surprised when Eichi suddenly rose, bowing deeply and saying “Thank you for allowing me to stay for so long. I should be heading back now.” When he lifted his head, he was looking directly at Nazuna, but he had put that masked smile back on. Nazuna couldn’t read what his eyes were trying to say.

Nazuna waited as Eichi changed back into his clothes and traversed the stairs once more — much more slowly this time, Nazuna noticed with some smug satisfaction. 

“Do you have more of that tea you gave me, Nito-kun?” Eichi asked when he’d reached the bottom.

Nazuna eyed him suspiciously, not sure where exactly this question was coming from, before mumbling an affirmative.

Eichi looked almost sheepish as he continued, a pensive hand coming to hover in front of his mouth. “Would you be willing to part with some of it? I quite liked it.”

The younger boy tipped his head to the side a bit, studying him questioningly. He still couldn’t read his expression, but he figured it couldn’t hurt, so he conceded. “Sure. Just wait here a minute.”

When he returned, Eichi had already put his shoes and coat on, and looked ready to leave. Nazuna handed Eichi a small pouch of tea leaves, and he carefully slipped them into his pocket, smiling gratefully.

“You called me “Eichi” before, you know.” he said suddenly, his tone teasing but somehow the words themselves falling heavily on Nazuna’s ears. Why was Eichi saying all of these weird things?

He snorted in disbelief though, hoping his confusion wasn’t obvious on his face. “I don’t remember ever doing that.”

“You did,” Eichi insisted. “But it’s okay. I won’t tell anyone. Now we each have a secret to keep, don’t we?” He seemed very pleased at this, giggling a little into his hand.

Nazuna huffed indignantly, reflecting just how very much he did not want another secret between the two of them. How he didn’t particularly want any reason for them to be connected beyond being classmates at the same school. But he supposed for how annoying and frivolous he could be, he didn’t necessarily dislike this Eichi. The Eichi underneath the labels and the expectations and the burdens. Stripped bare of everything everyone expected him to be, he supposed he wasn’t so bad.

The last several hours had shown him a side of Yumenosaki’s “emperor” that he never thought even existed, one that cried and became paralyzed by fear, one that shone with happiness and childlike wonder. He couldn’t help but remember that warm scene in the kitchen, where Eichi looked just as human as the rest of them.

Which might be why Nazuna sighed and responded with a “Sure, whatever,” and showed Eichi out the door when his ride pulled up. He watched his back disappear as he made his way down the road to a sleek black car that was far too new and far too clean to be at home in this neighbourhood.

He only turned away once the car had disappeared from view completely, retreating back to his room to put away the futon, his mind racing as he did, replaying vivid scenes over and over in his mind. Scenes that seemed like they belonged in a movie rather than right before his eyes. He felt heavy and light all at once. Cold and warm. The “emperor’s” secrets weighed heavily on his chest, a new burden that he had never asked for. And yet, he couldn’t help but feel like he had come here for a reason. That perhaps Eichi had been led here by some loose string of fate and that Nazuna had done the right thing by letting him in, by letting him be weak even just for one night.

He shook his head desperately as he rolled up the futon. It didn’t matter. They were just classmates, and next Monday nothing will have changed — except perhaps a lingering glance in the hallway and a new scent wafting from Eichi’s teacup.


End file.
